On the disaster in the Oval Office, industrial support measures and others

Posted on March 4, 2025 by

What are the implications of Trump and Vance bullying Zelenskyy in the Oval Office for the Kremlin and for Europe? How does the mobster mentality that Trump brings to international relations changes the Kremlin’s calculus regarding the war? Will the Russian federal government have to fund an increasing amount of sectoral crisis management programs? In this somewhat long-winded dispatch I am trying to answer these questions and comment on some other developments in Russia’s regions from the past weeks that did not make it into Bear Market Brief.

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On regional finances, political power in Khakassia and more

Posted on January 30, 2025 by

While the war continues to be the focus of the federal budget, a look at how regional fiscal incomes have changed in 2024 suggests that regional budgets are also facing increasingly tighter times. I am also taking a closer look at Khakassia and the new chapter in the story of United Russia trying to wrestle power from the region’s communist governor, as well as some other news that characterized Russian regional politics over the past weeks.

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On 2025 in Russian politics

Posted on January 15, 2025 by

A couple of thoughts on the past and the upcoming year in Russian politics: the Kremlin’s core challenges and what specific areas I will be watching this year.

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On the “new elite”, railway troubles and others

Posted on November 30, 2024 by

Russian regional officials are still appointing war participants to various positions, mostly to signal loyalty to the Kremlin, but some of the more recent appointment may represent a slight an potentially consequential shifting of gears. Meanwhile, Russian Railways will be forced to cut its investment program, which may not change much in the short term, but highlights some of the struggles over limited resources and priorities. More on these and some other developments from the past weeks, below.

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On the municipal reform, investment plans and others

Posted on November 3, 2024 by

Why is the Russian government planning to drag out the implementation of an upcoming reform of municipal self-governance? And does it matter? And why is it difficult to take the Kremlin’s infrastructure development plans at face value? Below I am trying to answer these questions and also highlight some of the other notable developments in Russian regional politics over the past weeks.

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On appointments of war participants, the Far East and others

Posted on October 4, 2024 by

In this dispatch, I would like to dive into two recent developments that highlight that even in today’s Russia, Putin has to operate with certain constraints, such as vested interests or the laws of economics.

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On digital draft notices, the Russian opposition and others

Posted on September 22, 2024 by

What does the introduction of digital draft notices say about Russia’s emerging digital authoritarianism? And what do and should we – in the West – expect of the Russian opposition? In a look-back on some of the significant developments and debates of the past weeks in Russian politics, I am trying to answer these questions, and comment briefly on others.

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